When Worlds Collide
by Levells
Summary: NC0&GF /AU\ Van and Fiona suddenly find themselves in the company of the Blitz Team and the mysterious Liger Zero. Will they be able to return to their own time?
1. New Friends

AN – My second fanfic. I hope you like it. Strike Laser Claw is known as 'Shield Breaker', being that an attack can bring down most shields (with the exception of really powerful ones). Also, Liger Zero has an original, so its' SLC is stronger than the Shadow Fox's. This takes place a year after the Royal Cup and one year after the defeat of the true Death Saurer.

* * *

Van opened his eyes, blinking them in an attempt to see through the spots that clouded his vision. The first thing he saw was a group of people looking down at him, a blond boy, two brown haired boys, and a pink haired girl.

"W-where am I?" he asked.

The pink haired girl answered, "You're in the Hovercargo."

"The what?"

"You've never heard of the Hovercargo? It's a transport Zoid."

"Zeke? Fiona? Dr. D?" Van called, looking around the room.

The blond boy answered, "We found a girl with you, she's in the bed behind us. She's not awake yet."

"Did you find anyone else?" asked Van hopefully.

"Nope, no one but you two." answered the taller brown haired boy.

"Where did you find us? We were at a military base." asked Van. The group exchanged a confused look among themselves.

"There was nothing around for miles." answered the shorter brown haired boy.

A movement from behind the group caught everyone's attention.

"Van?"

"Fiona, you're awake."

"Van, who are these people?"

"I don't know, we haven't been introduced yet."

The blond boy said "The name's Bit. Bit Cloud."

The taller of the two brown haired boys introduced himself as Brad Hunter.

"I'm Leena Toros." said the pink haired girl.

The last of the group to introduce himself was the youngest of the group.

"I'm Jamie Hemeros ."

Van looked at the group surrounding the bed he was on before saying, "I'm Van Flyheight and she's Fiona Elisi Linette. Now that we know everyone, can we get back to figuring out what happened? You said we were in the middle of nowhere, but that can't be right. We were helping Dr. D with an experiment on my Blade Liger at the Guardian Force base." As Van was speaking the door opened and a man walked in.

Hearing the last of Van's statement, he stopped and asked, "You've got a Blade Liger? That's a rare Zoid. It would be even rarer if it was red, like Leon's."

Leena sighed and said, "Come on dad, just give it up. Leon said he wasn't joining us yet until he was stronger and its not fair to bother this kid."

Leena turned back to Van to explain. "That's my dad, Dr. Steve Toros. He's obsessed with rare Zoids."

"You can just call me Doc." stated Dr. Toros.

"Umm, Leena? Can I ask where we are?" asked Fiona.

"Well, we're not really near any towns now, so I'm not sure how helpful I can be." replied Leena.

"Wait a minute Leena. We may not be near any towns, but the Gurreal Plateau isn't too far from here. That's a pretty famous landmark now." said Jamie.

"The Gurreal Plateau?" exclaimed Van and Fiona.

"Yeah. It's where the finish line was for the Royal Cup. There's an Ultrasaurus wreck there." Bit said.

"What?" yelled Fiona.

"Moonbay!" screamed Van.

Fiona looked at Van and said, "But how? We couldn't have been gone for long and it would have taken an enormous army beat to the Ultrasaurus."

"You guys knew that Zoid? But that wreck's been there for years." said Doc.

"Y-years? But how?" sputtered Van.

"Could we have a few moments alone? We have a lot to talk about." asked Fiona.

"Sure thing," said Doc, "Just let us know if you need anything. Come on gang."

"Van, I'm worried. Something isn't right, I can feel it."

"I know, there's no way the Ultrasaurus could be defeated in the amount of time we've been gone. And no towns nearby? The only landmark the Gurreal Plateau? Nothing adds up."

Fiona stared off into space for a moment before saying, "There is one other thing the Doctor said that's bothering me. From the sound of it, Blade Ligers are rare. Your Blade Liger is the only one. Not even Dr. D could help the Republic upgrade their Shield Ligers to Blade Ligers. So why does he talk like that?"

"Hmm, you've got a point, Fiona. I wonder if we should try contacting Dr. D, or even any base. Maybe they could help us figure things out."

"I don't know Van. I guess it's worth a try though. Let's go see if they can help us."

"Okay." Van and Fiona left the infirmary to find out if they could find Doc.

They found Doc in a room off to the side of the infirmary, it looked like the main living space. A table and a few couches covered the room, a vid screen on the far wall. Doc was sitting on one of the couches facing the vid screen, looking at what appeared to be Zoid schematics. He turned to face them when he heard them approach.

"What can I do for you?" he asked them.

"We were wondering if you could open a link to any military bases around here. We need to talk with someone in charge and find out what happened." said Fiona.

"Military bases? But there hasn't been a military in place for years. The Zoids Battle Commission is the only thing close to being military, but they just enforce fair battles."

"I was afraid you'd say something like that. Van, I think I know what's going on here. Why there aren't military bases, why Blade Ligers beside yours exist..."

"Well Fiona, what is it?"

"Van...I think we're in the future."

Van just stood there with his mouth open, staring at Fiona, trying to think of a way to refute her theory but he couldn't. It made complete sense and explained why things seemed different.

He closed his mouth enough to ask "H-how far into it do you think we are?"

Fiona shook her head and said, "I don't know. How long do you think it would take for the Republic and Empire to trust one another enough to get rid of their military bases?"

"You've got a point... maybe 100 years? Oh man, how are we going to get back? I'm going to kill that Dr. D if we do. Arrgh!"

"Van, just calm down. We won't get anywhere being frustrated. We'll just have to hope that Dr. D can figure out what happened and get us back. In the meantime, we might as well explore."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Doc watched the exchange between the two and then said, "Well, you're more than welcome to stay with us. We can show you around and if you'd like, you can register as a member of the team and join in some battles."

Van and Fiona turned to face Toros, clasping their hands in front of themselves and bowing slightly, saying "Thank you so much."

"Now, how about we get you two settled in. Fiona, there's an extra room down the hall. I'm afraid Van will have to sleep on the couch though." said Toros.

"That's okay, I've slept on much worse before." replied Van.

"Okay. In the morning, we'll get your registration squared away and see about what Zoid you can pilot. I'll show you to your room Fiona and I'll be back with a blanket for you, Van."

"Okay. Good night Van."

"Good night Fiona." Toros left with Fiona, leaving Van to sit on the couch and think.

'What else has changed? No military bases, something called the Zoids Battle Commission, fights for fun... maybe this era isn't too bad. I just wish Zeke, the Liger, Moonbay, and Irvine were here with us. I miss them.' Toros returned with a blanket.

"Here you go. It's not the Blade Liger, but we do have a Shield Liger. No one pilots it, so you can use it."

"A Shield Liger, huh? It's been a few years since I've piloted that. Thanks." Van said with a grin. Van stretched out on the couch, anxious to see what they would do tomorrow.

* * *

Van woke up early and went looking for the kitchen. He located it and entered, finding Brad at the table already, sipping a cup of coffee.

"You're up early." remarked Brad.

"I always get up early. There's always so much to do to spend the day sleeping." Van said. He reached for a mug and the coffee pot, looking at it carefully.

"How's the coffee?" he asked Brad.

"Fine. Like always." Van sighed in relief.

"That's good. I was afraid Fiona might have gotten up early and dumped in her usual amount of salt."

Brad coughed on his coffee before looking up at Van and saying "Salt?"

"Yeah," Van replied, "She always dumps a salt shaker in her cup. If you don't watch it, she might add it to the whole pot."

Brad looked a little worried and said, "I'll keep my eye on the pot then."

Van laughed before asking, "Which way to the hangar? I want to get in some practice time with the Shield Liger. It's been 5 years since I've piloted one and I need to get used the lower speed and maneuverability."

"It's down the hall and to the right, then go left at the end."

"Thanks Brad." Van said before leaving.

Van walked into the hangar, looking at the Zoids as he walked by them.

'That's a flying Zoid, but it's different from any I've seen.' Van mused to himself, looking at the green Zoid that might have been related to the Storm Sworder.

'That's one heavily armed Gunsniper. And that's... a modified Command Wolf? Or maybe a Lightning Saix...' Van thought, looking at a black Zoid.

'And what's that one? It doesn't look like the Shield Liger or Blade Liger. It's pretty well armored, maybe an advanced version? But I don't see any weapons besides the Shock Cannon. Interesting. I'll have to ask about them.' Coming to the Shield Liger, Van stops to reminisce about the old days, when Zeke resurrected his, the times he fought Raven, and when he thought he lost his Zoid forever.

"Those were some good times" he said aloud. A quiet growl from behind him made him turn around. The white Liger type Zoid had come closer, lowering its head to nuzzle against him.

"Well, you're friendly, huh?" The Liger roared in agreement. Van laughed and then turned to walk back to the Shield Liger.

Once inside the cockpit, he began familiarizing himself with the controls again. Gone were the familiar levers for the booster and the blades; without them, the cockpit seemed bare but Van knew the Liger was anything but lacking. Used properly, it could take out multiple enemies and take little damage. Van paused for a moment to remember how well the Liger moved and turned. Without Zeke, it would seem very slow when compared to the Blade Liger.

Van shrugged and said, "Well, I'm not going to get in any practice without getting out there."

The Shield Liger moved out of the hangar and out the back of the Hovercargo, walking for a few minutes before stopping. A light began flashing on the screen, signaling an incoming message.

"How about an opponent to practice against? The Shadow Fox and I haven't seen much action lately." said Brad as his picture popped up on the screen.

Van turned to look behind him and saw that black mystery Zoid from the hangar.

"Is that what that's called? Shadow Fox?" asked Van.

"Yup. Come on, I'll show you what it can do."

Van smiled, "Let's go for it."

"Doc'll have a fit if he has to spend money on repairs, so just be careful. I want to see what you can do, so don't hold back too much, alright?"

"Alright. Mobilize!" The Liger roared and charged full speed at the Fox. Brad turned the Shadow Fox and ran, trailing smoke and being careful to not outpace the Liger too much.

'Let's see how he handles this. The Shadow Fox can see him, but he'll be working blind.' thought Brad.

'Darn, I can't see him, so I don't know what side he'll hit me on. May as well put up the shield. If I were him, what would I do... Circle back and attack from the rear, probably.' thought Van.

He quickly turned the Liger around and put up the shield. Suddenly, Van felt the Shield Liger's legs buckle as the Fox jumped at the Liger's body, hitting the shield and then bouncing off to the side of the Liger.

"Are you okay?" asked Van.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Legs are a little damaged, but I'm not done yet." replied Brad as the Shadow Fox took off.

Van followed the sound of the Fox's feet, disengaging the shield once he left the smokescreen. The Shadow Fox was running slowly, taunting Van to catch up. He urged the Liger forward and then watched curiously as the Fox's tail seemed to split in two.

"A missile launcher?" Van was surprised but quickly opened the Liger's back armor plate, flipping the AMD 20mm beam cannons forward. The missile filed and Van let loose two shots and watched as the missile blew up, revealing a net that seemed to dance with sparks. Brad turned the Shadow Fox around and charged at the Shield Liger.

"Let's see how you handle this. Strike...Laser...Claw!" Brad yelled as the front legs of the Shadow Fox began to glow yellow.

"It's... glowing? That can't be good." Van said as he put up the shield once more. The Fox was almost at the Liger now, jumping in the air and twisting, ready to sink its left paw through the shield and into the Liger's left shoulder. The shield broke, unable to absorb the energy attack. Brad's Zoid hit the ground and ran past the Liger, digging in a claw to spiral it around and face the Liger again.

"I missed? There's no way, I was right on top of it." said Brad, shocked.

Van laughed, "You're good but I dodged it. You only gave it a scratch."

'He dodged it... but how? Shield Liger's are slow and not as maneuverable, so how could he pilot it so well in such a short amount of time? He said it's been 5 years but he pilots it like he's used it for that long. Alright, playtime's over. I'm not going to lose a practice match to anyone but Bit.' Brad fired the Vulcan at the Shield Liger. Or, rather, where the Shield Liger had been a second ago.

"Where'd he go?"

"Right above you." said Van as the Shield Liger jumped from the steep rocky hill he had somehow managed to climb. Brad raised the vulcan laser, trying to get it to the angle he needed before the Liger landed on him. The only two shots he managed to fire went through the Liger's front right leg and nicked the rear one. Van put a rear leg on the vulcan gun and the other on the Zoids neck.

"Impressive Zoid. But it looks like I win." said Van. "Alright, let's go back to the Hovercargo." replied Brad. He was annoyed and impressed that Van had beaten him, seemingly with little effort.

Leena was in the shower, humming to herself knowing that Bit wouldn't be up for hours. The next sound she heard made her temper go off like a Burning Big Bang.

"How dare you! You know this is my time to use the bathroom!" she yelled, tightening her robe.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Van said in fear.

"That doesn't matter! Why can't anyone knock around here? Get out!" Leena grabbed the chair next to her, raising it above her head as she finished her sentence.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Van yelled, running out of the bathroom. Leena decided to take out her frustration at Bit on him and chased after him.

"I've had it with Bit and now you! You'll pay!"

Van ran to the Zoid hangar, the closest Zoid to this entrance was the mystery white one. The Zoid turned to look at Van as he burst into the hangar, breathing hard and looking over his shoulder. The Liger opened its cockpit and Van jumped in it, exiting the hangar quickly. Leena ran into the room a minute later, determined to get in Jamie's Raynos but then noticed the Shield Liger was still there. So were the Shadow Fox and her Gunsniper.

"There's no way... He took Liger Zero. But the Liger only lets Bit pilot it." she said out loud.

She ran to the Hovercargo's control room, where they normally watched the battles, and flipped on the louspeaker.

"Dad, Bit, everyone, get up now! Liger Zero and Van just left!"

Leena could hear Bit's scream from his room. "WHAAAAT?"

Toros arrived at the control room with Bit, Fiona, and the rest of the Blitz Team a minute later.

He took charge, "What do you mean they just left?"

"Well, you see, Van walked in on me and I kinda... chased him. When I got to the hangar, Liger Zero was gone." she said.

Bit was in complete shock. "But how? Liger won't let anyone but me pilot it and there's no way Van could have forced him out." he managed to say.

Toros looked deep in thought. 'Hmm... There's something special about that kid. Is it really possible the Liger Zero let him pilot it? But what about Bit? Will it let them both pilot it or will it only let Van now?'

* * *

AN – That wraps up the first chapter. Please leave a review. How did I do with the battle scene? I think it was a little iffy, but it was also just a practice battle... I think I stayed fairly true to the characters. Anyway, let me know. And thanks for reading! :)


	2. Unanswered Questions

**AN** – Sorry everyone, it took me a lot longer than I hoped for to write this chapter. I'm going to split a few of the chapters into two parts: one dealing with the New Century Zero timeline and the other, the Guardian Force timeline. Thanks for the reviews, they make my day!

I'm also looking for a Beta reader (or two), if anyone's interested.

Special thanks to Ibeyla (ShadowRebirth37) for putting up with my random questions and just being there to talk to :)

* * *

Van sighed in relief that no one was following him. The Liger slowed to a stop, turning to face the direction he came.

"Man, I was afraid she'd chase me after I left. She's completely out of control!" Van mused out loud, scanning the sky to make sure the green aerial Zoid he saw in the hangar wasn't approaching.

The white Liger, which he had yet to learn its name, roared in what was an unmistakable laugh.

"That's not funny!" Van complained.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Something fell from the sky and impacted with the ground behind Van and the Liger, causing a large dust cloud to surround the Liger.

"What was that?" yelled Van.

A cackle from behind him made Van turn the Liger around. In the middle of the newly created crater was a black capsule of some sort with what appeared to be a robot inside. It had a reflective black visor where its eyes should have been and it's 'hands' had different colors, blue and red.

"The Liger Zero versus the Backdraft team. Battlemode 0999. Ready? Fight!"

"A battle? But where's the opponent?"

"Right here, kid. When we win, you'd better hand over the Liger Zero!"

"They're no better than bandits." Van said as he looked around for the opponent.

"I can't let them win. But I don't know how to fight with this Zoid and it seems they're using camouflage."

A schematic popped up on a screen in front of Van, showing the Liger's weaponry. _It's almost like he understands me. _Van glanced at the screen, seeing the Liger's underbelly cannon, the tail gun, and a "...Strike Laser Claw?"

The Liger roared, seemingly liking that option. "Well, we've got to find them first." Van said, scanning the landscape. "They haven't attacked yet. When they do, we can try to track their muzzle flashes."

A roar from the side of the Liger caught Van off guard. _He's right next to me!_ Van and the Liger jumped sideways, twisting to face where the roar came from and firing the shock cannon. While it didn't hit the Sabre Tiger, the resulting smoke cloud showed the outline of the Saber Tiger thirty feet away.

"There!" Van yelled, urging the Liger forward.

On the screen, the Strike Laser Claw option was blinking.

Outside the Liger, the cheek guards flipped out and started glowing. The claws on the front legs and the joints glowed a bright gold. The Liger jumped in the air, turning and drawing back the right claw before plunging it into the Saber Tiger's back, cutting off its back mounted weaponry. The Liger landed slightly behind the Tiger, the glow disappearing and the cheek guards returning to their normal position.

"Wow, that's as strong as the Blade Attack." Van stated.

Shots hit the side of the Liger, almost knocking it over. The Liger roared in frustration. Van wasn't feeling much better either.

"I can't fight them unless I'm in close combat but how am I supposed to do that when they keep running and hiding?"

Several shots came from behind a rock and precisely took out the Helkats one at a time, each one dropping their camouflage as they fell to reveal that they had been equipped with Gatling units. There had been five of them; it would have been almost impossible for Van to fight them alone. But who was the mystery Zoid that took them out?

"OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH! The winner is... Liger Zero." the Judge said, raising his blue hand slightly.

The lid closed and the Judge blasted off.

The Shadow Fox walked out from behind the rock, Brad opening a link with Van.

"Let's hurry up and get out of here. The Judge may not be here any more but that doesn't mean they won't try something else."

"Okay. You lead the way. The Liger got me lost."

Brad laughed. "Sounds like the first time Bit was in it. It stopped in the middle of nowhere."

His expression became unreadable, all trace of emotion gone. "Hope you didn't scratch it, Bit's ready to kill you as it is."

"Why? I know I borrowed his Zoid, but that's no reason to get bent out of shape."

Brad sighed. "You don't get it. The Liger Zero wouldn't let anyone pilot it until it met Bit. And even after that, it doesn't even let anyone get close to the cockpit. How you're in there is a mystery to all of us."

"Oh, I see..."

Van was silent on the way back to the base, thinking about the strange Zoid he was in. It was almost like it had a mind of its own, which reminded him of Zeke and BEEK, to an extent. His expression changed as he thought about his missing companion. What was going on back home? Would Dr. D be able to fix things or would the two of them be stuck in this time forever?

"You're awfully quiet." Brad remarked.

"Just thinking about some things."

The only person that knew Van and Fiona weren't supposed to be here was Toros and while he seemed to absorb that fact fairly easily, Van wasn't sure how any of the others would react. He hoped Fiona hadn't tell anyone else. He sighed, wondering when the barrage of questions would begin. Toros must be waiting until they were a bit more comfortable with how things have changed before asking anything. For that, Van was grateful. When the time came, he wasn't sure if they could explain anything. He and Fiona had stayed up late to work on Dr. D's newest experiment, a way to increase the Blade Liger's speed to unbelievable limits. The last thing Van remembered was running some small scale tests and computer modeling. Brad's voice jarred Van from his thoughts.

"We're here. Doc wants you to go in the back." Brad turned the Shadow Fox around, going in side of the base where the hangar was.

"Alright." The Liger walked around the base and entered through the back, away from the hangar. The place looked like a maintenance bay with various parts, weapons, and armor pieces on racks and mechanical arms hanging form the ceiling and off walls.

"Looks like the Liger didn't take many serious hits. The armor will need to be fixed up a bit and I'll check the body over, but it looks like it'll be fine by tomorrow. I was worried when Brad said he found you in a fight, especially against the Backdraft Group." Toros remarked, standing on a platform the same height as the Liger Zero's head.

"I was worried too." Van said as he jumped onto the platform with Toros. "I don't know how Bit can fight with that Zoid, it only has a shock cannon and its claws."

Doc chuckled. "You haven't seen Bit fight. Or the Liger Zero's other armors."

"Other armors?"

"Yes, I designed different armors so the Liger can use them in different situations. They're so cool!"

Van smiled. Dr. Toros was a bit like Dr. D, but seemed to be obsessed with anything rare or shiny. At least he didn't give off the 'crazy scientist' aura that got Dr. D in so many... odd situations.

"Dr. Toros, was there something you wanted to see me about."

"Oh, yes. I wanted to talk to you and Fiona. We can talk in the strategy room, everyone else is in the lounge. I know things still must be confusing for the two of you, but I'd like to try to get to the bottom of this. Maybe we can help you."

Van smiled, hoping it was possible. "Thanks Doc."

"Don't mention it. Come on, Fiona should be there already."

The two walked through the door nearest them and followed the corridor until it branched off, one way leading to a door marked 'Strategy Room' and the other leading to more hallways. Opening the door, the two saw Fiona sitting at the computer drinking a cup of what Van knew to be salt-laced coffee. Hearing the door open, she turned around to see them enter.

"You're okay!" she cried happily as she ran to Van and hugged him. "Brad said you were in a fight. I was worried about you."

Van smiled and hugged her back. "I'm alright, thanks to Brad. It would have been a lot harder if he didn't show up when he did."

"You're lucky. Everyone told me about them. They want that Zoid and they don't care what they have to do to get it. They're worse than some of the bandits we've faced."

Van gently pushed Fiona back so that he could look her in the eye. "I've faced Prozen, Hiltz, and Raven. I'm not about to let some bandits get the better of me!"

"I know. But that doesn't stop me from worrying that something could happen. Especially since Zeke isn't here to bail you out."

Doc cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt, but we should get started. Why don't we start with who Zeke is?"

Van nodded his head and sat down with Fiona on a bench. "Agreed. Zeke is my Organoid."

"Oh boy! I've heard legends about them, they were rare even centuries ago." Toros said, his eyes getting that familiar glint whenever anything rare or shiny crossed his sight.

Snapping out of his trance, he added, "To be fair, since this is new to the two of you, how about we alternate asking questions? That way we'll both be caught up on what's going on."

Van and Fiona looked at one another. Nodding to the other, they answered their unspoken question.

"You mentioned registering for battles. What kind of battles do you fight in?" Van asked.

"Well, Zoid battles are competitions. There's different ranks, opponents, rules and you win prize money." Doc said, almost glowing at the mention of money.

"Who would have thought people would fight for fun? At least that means there's no war." Fiona said happily.

"What can you tell me about Organoids?"

"I'll answer this one. Organoids can do a lot. They can fuse with a Zoid and increase its abilities, fly, and they have a chest cavity that can hold their partner." Fiona answered.

"That's impressive. I've only heard that they existed; none of the legends mention their abilities."

"My turn!" Fiona said cheerfully.

She thought for a moment. "What's so special about the Zoid Van took? The blond boy was so upset."

"You mean Bit and the Liger Zero. The Liger Zero is a very unique Zoid, called an Ultimate X. It has a black box attached to its Zoid Core, it can learn from past experience and memorize moves used against it. When an Ultimate X loses a battle, it comes back stronger than ever. Because of this, they are very selective of who they let pilot them. The Liger Zero has only let Bit into its cockpit, it refused anyone else who tried. The Backdraft tried to use the Liger Zero once, but it performed worse than a Shield Liger when they forced a pilot in it. That's why Bit was so shocked and a little hurt when you took the Liger Zero out. He's worried that the Liger might want you to pilot it instead of him."

"I see," Van said, sounding slightly dejected. "I didn't mean for anything like that to happen. It was the closest Zoid to the door and it opened the cockpit for me... I didn't know it was unique."

"What's the Backdraft group?" he asked after a minute.

Doc's face turned into a grimace as he remembered everything the Backdraft had done over the past year. "They're a group of warriors who use illegal maneuvers and their own rules. Most of the time, they confiscate the loser's Zoids. They'll do anything to win or get what they want."

The three of them continued asking questions and explaining for several minutes until Toros asked the big question: "You said you were working on your Blade Liger before you woke up here. Do you know what could have happened?"

"My best guess is that it happened when we ran a test on the improvements to the Blade Liger." Van said.

Fiona, more familiar with the details of the experiment, added what she could. "Dr. D came up with a way to increase the Liger's speed by displacing the air particles in front so they'd reappear at the back. It was supposed to create a slipstream effect, speeding the Liger along even if it was standing still when activated. Van and I stayed up late to run some small tests. We activated the system for a test. The next thing we know, we woke up in your beds."

"Hmmm. You were standing in front of the Blade Liger, right?" Doc asked.

"Yes, we were. How did you guess that?" Van said, slightly surprised.

"Just a guess. Whatever this Dr. D did probably only affected the space in front of the Liger. Its possible that nothing would have happened if you were elsewhere." replied Toros.

"Do you think there's any way that you could create the same experiment?" asked Fiona.

"I'm afraid not. That's nothing like I've ever done before." was the answer.

"Well, its settled then. We can't do anything without Dr. D. Can we stay and join your team? We could use a bit of a vacation anyway." Van said.

"Great! I thought you'd never ask. If you're fine with the Shield Liger, then we just need to give the Zoid Battle Commission your name and they'll assign you a registration number."

Doc brought up a judge from the ZBC moments later, saying an unregistered warrior would like to join the Blitz Team, using the registered Shield Liger. Van was slightly surprised to see a white version of the robot from earlier that day.

"Warrior," the judge said, adressing Van, "state your name."

"Van Flyheight."

"Registration approved. Registration number is 357514. Warrior, you have until the start of your next battle to input registration number into Zoid computer. Farewell."

With that brief goodbye, the screen dimmed as the transmission ended.

* * *

(Back in the Guardian Force timeline)

A beep signaled an incoming transmission. A dark haired man in a pilot's outfit pressed a button to answer, not bothering to disguise the annoyance on his face.

"I have a job for you. I need you to destroy a Zoid for me. It's contained in a storage unit but should escape soon. It's stronger than it looks; don't underestimate it. I want it destroyed immediately. Make sure the Core stops functioning. Coordinates will follow." said a man with white hair.

The transmission ended, after which coordinates showing a location not far from the pilot's current position. He smirked; it had been a while since he was told to destroy something.

"Shadow!" he yelled, making sure the winged Organoid took flight before firing up the Geno Breaker's boosters, anxious to get on with his assignment.

Raven normally hated his assignments. For most, he merely picked up parts at various bases, acting nice to people and transporting the large containers on the back of the Breaker. Why? Because that was what he was told to do. It didn't matter to him that his Zoid was the fastest land-based Zoid and that was part of the reason he was selected, he just wanted the freedom of doing what he wanted, not what he was ordered. He sighed, knowing that the months after the Death Saurer's defeat had softened him somewhat. A roar from Shadow made him smirk, knowing the Organoid was reminding him that he was still the most feared and respected pilot on Zi. No one else knew just how Raven had changed, with the exception of an Organoid and its owner, but they weren't about to tell anyone.

There was a town along the route he took. It was slightly out of the way of his destination but Raven always enjoyed flying above towns and scaring people.

The town quickly came into view but something was wrong; Command Wolves were shooting at a black Zoid. Raven couldn't tell what it was, there was smoke and a shield. Since the Command Wolf pilots were using their external speakers, he guessed the mystery Zoid pilot was refusing communication lines. Raven stopped near the edge, wondering if they'd shoot at him and give him a reason to fight. He knew that if he actively inserted himself in the middle of the fight, he'd never hear the end of it from anyone back at the base.

"You're not welcome here!" was one pilot's cry.

"Go away, maverick!"

"What's the matter?" taunted one, "Are you scared of a few Command Wolves?"

Raven frowned, wondering who the pilot could be. It was almost like the kind of reception he expected to get at a few bases. _How many other people are there that would be treated like this?_ He wondered.

The smoke began to clear as the wolf pack slowed their fire. The shield dropped and Raven gasped. There, behind the remaining smoke, was a Geno Breaker! It was black, but unmistakeably a Breaker.

"Where did that come from?" he yelled.

"P-please! I j-just wa-wanted some water..." came a young girl's voice, crying.

"Yeah right! We don't believe you!"

"So, you're not him. You're the bitch who helped out. Well, demon, it doesn't matter what you say. We'll get rid of you and the Zoid!"

"Grrrrr!" Raven's hand twitched on the Geno Breaker's controls, ready to fly forward as soon as they fired another shot. He didn't know who the pilot was but he was determined to put a stop to this. However, before the Breaker could move, a howl from the other side of town caught his attention. It was unlike any other Zoid he had heard.

A man's voice blared from external speakers "Leave her ALONE!"

A red Zoid with golden parts came running out, weaving around the shots form the Command Wolves. As the Zoid moved closer, Raven thought it resembled a fox with its long snout and pointy ears. It closed in on the lead Command Wolf, front leg joints glowing. It jumped on the Wolf with both front paws landing on its neck, severing the neck from the body.

Everyone stopped firing as one Command Wolf walked forward.

"Our business isn't with you. If you leave now, we'll forget what you just did."

The reply came quickly, spoken with obvious venom. "No one touches my sister and gets away with it."

The metal fox ran at the leader who had spoken, firing a single shot from the back-mounted gun. The bullet went straight through the gun of the Command Wolf, destroying most of its internal structure. Closing in, the fox clamped its jaws around the neck of the wolf. The gun popped up and swiveled, firing a single shot for every wolf. Raven watched in amazement as the Command Wolves fell over. The shots were so precise, they pierced vital electronics inside the Zoids. He noticed that they would be fine since the pilot never seemed to aim at the Core, a tactic Raven often used. He turned back to where the fox still had its jaws around the remaining Command Wolf's neck.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. Tell me the truth and I won't rip your Zoid apart."

"O-okay."

"Why did you attack that Geno Breaker?"

"We thought it was Raven."

The pilot of the fox was silent for a moment before saying, "Did you ask for identification? His is red, this one was black. Did you not think about that?"

The fox's jaws closed a little tighter.

"We thought it might have something to do with his Organoid, it's black after all."

"Hmph. I believe you."

The fox released the wolf, turning around to walk towards the black Geno Breaker.

In the cockpit of the Command Wolf, the man laughed. "Pathetic. He may be skilled, but he's just a kid. He's going to walk away?"

Almost as if in response to this unheard monologue, the gun on the fox popped up and rotated 180°. Still walking away, the fox pilot fired a single shot that pierced the Core of the Command Wolf.

The fox and black Geno Breaker ran off, quickly leaving the town behind them. Raven looked at his map, the two were going in the opposite direction he was headed. Annoyed, he swore to himself that he would find them so that he could learn how there was another Geno Breaker.

Pushing the boosters to their limit, Raven landed the Geno Breaker where the coordinates he received. He would have to be blind to not see the giant storage container set into the cliff. Dents accentuated the surface, whatever was inside wanted to be outside. The Zoid inside finally broke through, revealing it to be...

"A Helcat? I was sent out here to destroy a Helcat?"

* * *

**AN —** I hope everyone liked it, I enjoyed writing it. What do you think of it? Please review! They help make me a better writer.


	3. Mysterious Connections

AN - This isn't way overdue or anything _ Not much to say here, except a thank you to Darkened-Storm for helping to light the fire under my behind and get back to writing this.

* * *

(Guardian Force Timeline)

Raven almost growled in disgust. A lousy Helcat? Even one of the troops fresh out of the academy could take out one of these with a little luck. Why was it insisted that Raven take it out?

"Let's get this over with. Just stay off to the side, Shadow. You'd make it boring."

Shadow growled in response.

Raven pushed the Geno Breaker forward, shooting out a claw to catch the Helcat but the Helcat dodged easily.

Raven growled in annoyance, firing the boosters to chase his prey. There was no way the Helcat would escape the Breaker. Raven alternated between firing the guns and lunging with the pincers, determined to destroy the Zoid quickly. However, every time it seemed he had it in his grasp, it would miraculously slip through.

_There's something strange about this Zoid. There's no way it should be able to keep getting away from me._

"Shadow! Get rid of it!"

Shadow let out a roar before taking to the air, turning into a blur of light as he sped towards the Helcat. Colliding with the Zoid, Shadow sped through it, determined to rip through the Core. Raven watched as Shadow came back out and landed heavily, electricity crackling all over.

_Something is seriously wrong with this Zoid. Why couldn't Shadow rip out the Core? She's never failed at that before._

"Move it Shadow." Raven said as he hovered the Breaker just above the ground, opening the tail vents and extending the Charged Particle Cannon.

Shadow fused with the Geno, flipping the forehead blade forward as Raven pushed the power to the maximum.

"Let's see you dodge THIS!"

The beam shot forward, straight for the fleeing Helcat. It turned to run in a different direction, but Raven powered one booster, swinging his Zoid around to follow the Helcat's path. The beam caught the back legs of the Helcat, causing it to stumble and fall on its side. Suddenly, it vanished and Raven swore, turning the Breaker in to find it, still intent on finishing it off with the last remnants of the charged particle beam. Before Raven could turn the Zoid any more, it stopped responding to his controls.

"Shadow, are you doing this!"

The map popped up on the display, showing Raven's Zoid and the beam's trajectory. It was already dangerously close to the town they had passed by and if Raven had continued turning, the town would have been hit. Even though the beam was weaker at that distance, there would still be death and destruction. If that had happened, he wouldn't be able to leave the base for a long time and he might even lose possession of the Breaker.

"Hmph. Fine. I'll just finish it off up close. It makes no difference to me how it's destroyed."

Raven retracted the turret and looked for the Helcat. It was on the other side of the Breaker, somehow managing to get around him in the blink of an eye.

Pointing the Breaker right at the injured Zoid, he leaned the head forward, determined to spear the Core with the Breaker's blade. For added enjoyment, he would use the pincers to tear it in two.

* * *

(At a military base)

Colonel Karl Schubaltz walked down the hallway leading to the Zoid hangar. It was early morning and he wanted to see how repairs were going on his Iron Kong.

As he turned the corner, he saw Colonel Herman walking towards him.

Karl nodded to him, touching his hat. "Herman. Good to see you."

"You too, Schubaltz. I don't suppose you've seen Lieutenant Flyheight or Fiona around?"

Karl frowned. "No, I haven't. By the sound of it, I take it they're not in their rooms?"

Herman shook his head. "Nope. The Liger is still here and I found Zeke with it. I just checked the hangar to see if they took one of those Zoids, but no luck."

"Maybe Irvine or Moonbay would know? And weren't the two of them working on some new project with Dr. D?" asked Schubaltz.

"Irvine and Moonbay left the other day but Van and Fiona were here. I've heard Dr. D's still on base but I haven't been able to find him either."

"Hmm. I can understand why they might leave the Liger behind, but why leave Zeke? And if no Zoids are gone, did they drive? Nothing's in walking distance."

Herman shook his head again. "No vehicles are missing. I'm starting to worry. No alarms sounded so surely they weren't kidnapped…"

"What do you say we go see Zeke. If he wasn't running around or trying to pilot a Zoid, then I think we can safely say he knows they're fine and will be back soon."

"Good point." Herman said, turning to walk towards the research wing where the Liger was. "He was just standing there. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Not at all. I was just going to check on my Iron Kong."

"I can save you the walk, then. They finished repairing it a few hours ago."

Schubaltz nodded. "Good. I want to check up on a few leads later today."

"About?"

Karl frowned. "You mean you haven't heard the reports about a Geno Breaker that's been sighted? This one's black and we know nothing about it."

Herman was shocked. "A black Geno Breaker? How much damage has it caused?"

"That's the thing, it doesn't attack. People see it briefly before it disappears. It seems to have a travel companion, but the only thing we know is that it's a red Zoid."

Herman punched in his access code and the door slid open. Karl could see the Blade Liger at the back, hooked up to some machine with wires. Zeke was standing by the computers, staring at the floor in front of the Liger.

Karl walked to Zeke, while Herman looked at the computer, looking for anything that would help.

"Hey Zeke. Where are Van and Fiona?"

Herman reached out to touch a lever next to the computer.

"Don't touch that!" came a voice from the Blade Liger.

Herman froze and Karl spun around to see Dr. D crawling down from the tangle of wires on the Liger.

"Dr. D! I was hoping to find you. I'm trying to find Van and Fiona." Herman said, walking over to him.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't help you. I don't know where they went." came the Dr.'s reply.

"Y-you don't?" Karl said.

"Nope. They were doing tests on the new system, last I knew. They were supposed to let me know how things went."

The door opened and guard ran in. "Dr. D! I did as you asked and you're not going to believe this!"

"Oh? What happened?" the crazy scientist asked.

Herman had to ask, "What did you ask him to do?"

The guard paused to take a breath before saying, "Dr. D asked me to review the security tapes for this room to see what happened. They just vanished!"

"What?" was everyone's reply. Zeke tilted his head in confusion.

"You have to see it to believe it. Follow me." said the guard.

All four of them followed the guard back to the surveillance room, where the scene was ready to be played back. The guard pushed a button and the video began.

The timestamp showed that it was 2 a.m. yesterday morning. Van was standing by the computer, inputting data. Fiona came into view a few moments later to stand behind Van. The two talked animatedly about something before Van pulled a lever and the duo walked over to the Blade Liger, standing in front of it. There was a flash of light, causing everyone watching to blink. When they looked again, Van and Fiona were gone.

The next few moments passed in silence until Karl wondered aloud, "How did that happen?"

"This is not good." murmured Dr. D.

Herman jumped on his statement. "Does that mean you know what happened?"

"I think so. It seems my experiment doesn't quite work the way I intended it to. But it's a marvel of science that it does that!" the doctor exclaimed.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning." Karl said.

"Very well. But not until I've had my morning coffee." Dr. D said stubbornly.

"You can't be serious. At a time like this, you hold off for coffee?" Herman said, annoyed.

"Now now Rob. I'm not getting any younger. And coffee will help me remember. You wouldn't want this old scientist to start forgetting parts of his story, now would you?"

Karl sighed. "I'll get it. I haven't had any yet either. Plenty of salt for the doc. You want a cup, Herman?"

"Black. We'll meet you in the conference room?"

"Fine with me. Anyone else we need to involve?" asked the Imperial colonel.

"Hm…your brother, along with Irvine and Moonbay." Dr. D said.

"Moonbay and Irvine aren't back yet. They should be soon though. As for Thomas…" Herman trailed off.

"Thomas is probably in his room. He's more of a night owl than an early riser. I'll grab him on my way." said Karl, moving toward the door.

A knock on his door caused Thomas to stir slightly. He didn't know what time it was, but it was too early. He was lucky if he had gotten 4 hours sleep, having spent most of the night working on improvements to BEEK.

"Wake up, Lieutenant. We need you in the conference room."

Thomas groaned, but sat up and looked at the clock. Three and a half hours ago, he had stumbled into his bed. He was still wearing his uniform.

He called out to his brother, "I'll be there in a minute Karl."

Karl sighed. "We're technically off duty, but you know it's Colonel Schubaltz. We'll be meeting Colonel Herman and Doctor D. I'm getting coffee."

The door opened and Thomas came out. "I'll join you."

The two brothers walked to the kitchen and Karl started pouring cups for himself and Herman. "You can make yours and Dr. D's."

Thomas wordlessly poured salt into their cups, his brain still trying to remain awake.

Herman and Dr. D were sitting at the table in silence, looking up when the door opened. The brothers handed out the cups wordlessly, everyone taking deep draughts before Thomas spoke.

"So what happened that's so major?"

"Van and Fiona are missing." Dr. D spoke up.

Thomas almost spit his coffee in shock.

"Something's happened to Miss Fiona?"

* * *

AN- Well, I hope you enjoyed that. I know it's been a long time since I've updated it and I'm really sorry.


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